Just Desserts, an award-winning bakery in Oakland, CA, is opening a 75,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Fairfield, CA, in May.
The Fairfield location, situated at 5000 Fulton Drive, will house the company’s production facility and some administrative offices. Just Desserts’ San Francisco location will have administrative offices and an innovation center, including a test kitchen.
“Our business enjoyed double digit growth in 2014 through the introduction of our new organic and vegan product offerings,” says Michael J. Mendes, Just Desserts CEO. “With the introduction of new products, our new proprietary-packaging platform and expanded production facility, we expect accelerated growth in the future.”
The company is moving from Oakland because of its need for a larger facility. The Fairfield site is double the size of Just Desserts’ current bakery in Oakland. It is being designed and equipped to handle the company’s new organic and premium vegan baked items, and will have enhanced production capabilities, as well as an in-house quality control laboratory.
Mendes says the company conducted an exhaustive search for a new site, even looking as far away as Nevada and Texas. “We chose Fairfield because of the value of real estate, the city’s business-friendly environment, and the fact that the transportation lanes are attractive for shipping and transporting product,” he says. “We also found that the access to skilled workers in the area is well-suited to our needs.”
At full production, Just Desserts estimates it will create more than 100 new jobs at the Fairfield facility.